While the Prologue has been talking, the actors have left one by one. The Prologue leaves too. ✎ The lighting on the stage has changed. It is now a pale, grey dawn in a sleeping house. ✎ Antigone opens the door a crack and steals in bare-footed, on tip-toe, her sandals in her hand. ✎ She stands motionless for a moment, listening, The NURSE rushes out. ✎
THE NURSE ✎ — Where have you been? 🔊✎
ANTIGONE ✎ —I've been for a walk, nurse. It was lovely. Everything was grey. 🔊✎ Now you won't recognise it, it's already all pink, yellow, green. 🔊✎ It's like a postcard. 🔊✎ You need to get up earlier, nurse, if you want to see a world without colours. 🔊✎ She tries to go past her. ✎
THE NURSE ✎ — I get up when it's still dark, I go to your room to see if you've kicked off the covers again, and I find you're not in your bed! 🔊✎
ANTIGONE ✎ —The garden was still asleep. I surprised it, nurse. I saw it before it realised I was there. 🔊✎ Gardens are beautiful when they aren't thinking about people yet. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — You went out. I was at the back door, you left it ajar. 🔊✎
ANTIGONE ✎ — The fields were all covered in dew, they were waiting. Everything was waiting. 🔊✎ I made a huge noise, walking down the road all on my own, and I was embarrassed because I know they weren't waiting for me. 🔊✎ So I took off my sandals and slipped into a field without it noticing. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — You'll need to wash your feet before you go back to bed. 🔊✎
ANTIGONE ✎ — I'm not going back to bed this morning. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — At four a.m.! It's not even four! 🔊✎ I get up to see if she's kicked off the covers. I find her bed cold and no one there. 🔊✎
ANTIGONE ✎ — Do you think if you got up like that every morning, nurse, it would be as lovely to be the first girl outdoors? 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — Night! It was still night! 🔊✎ And you want me to think you just went out for a walk, you little liar! Where have you been? 🔊✎
ANTIGONE, ✎ with a strange smile. ✎ — It's true, it was still night. And no one in the country except me was thinking it was morning. 🔊✎ It was wonderful, nurse. I was the first person today who thought it was light. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — That's right! Pretend you're crazy! I know that trick. I was a girl once too. 🔊✎ Not an easy one to deal with, but not as stubborn as you either. Bad girl! Where were you? 🔊✎
ANTIGONE, ✎ suddenly serious. ✎ — No. Not bad. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — You went out to meet someone, didn't you? Try to say you didn't. 🔊✎
ANTIGONE, ✎ softly. ✎ — Yes. I went out to meet someone. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — You have a lover? 🔊✎
ANTIGONE, ✎ in a strange voice, after a silence. ✎ — Yes nurse, yes, the poor guy. I have a lover. 🔊✎
THE NURSE, ✎ losing her temper. ✎ — Ah! That's nice, isn't it! That's great! 🔊✎ You, the daughter of a king! 🔊✎ You do what you can : you do what you can to bring them up! They're all the same! 🔊✎ But you weren't like the others, always checking your makeup in front of a mirror, touching up your lipstick, hoping someone would notice you. 🔊✎ How many times have I told myself: "Dear God, the little one, she's not enough of a flirt! Always the same dress and she doesn't even comb her hair. The boys won't see anyone but Ismene with her curls and her ribbons and they'll leave me to look after the other one. 🔊✎ And now you're just like your sister. Worse even! Who is he? Someone from the wrong side of the tracks, a boy you can't take home and tell your family: "Here he is, he's the one I love, I want to marry him." That's it, isn't it? Answer me, girl! 🔊✎
ANTIGONE, ✎ still with an imperceptible smile. ✎ — Yes, nurse. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — And she says yes! Lord help me! I've looked after her since she was a tiny thing : I promised her poor mother I'd bring her up to be a good girl, and here we are! 🔊✎ But I'm not putting up with this, my dear. 🔊✎ I'm just your nurse, and you can treat me how you like. Fine. But let me tell you now, your uncle Creon is going to know about it. 🔊✎
ANTIGONE, ✎ suddenly a bit tired ✎ — Yes nurse, my uncle Creon is going to know about it. Now I want to be alone. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — And you'll see what he says when he hears you've been out at night. 🔊✎ And Haemon? Your fiancé? Because she's engaged! She's engaged, and at four in the morning she gets up to meet someone else. 🔊✎ And then she tells you to leave her alone, she doesn't want you to say anything. 🔊✎ You know what I should do? Give you a good smacking like when you were little. 🔊✎
ANTIGONE ✎ — Please nurse, you shouldn't shout so much. You shouldn't be too angry this morning. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — Don't shout! On top of everything, I shouldn't shout! Me who promised your mother... 🔊✎ What would she say if she were here now? 🔊✎ You useless old thing, yes, you useless old thing, you were supposed to make sure my little one was a good girl. Always shouting, always doing guard dog duty, telling them to wear their woolens so they don't catch cold and whisking eggs so they'd grow up strong, but at four in the morning you're asleep on the job, you useless old thing, you're the one who never needs sleep but you're asleep, and you let her escape, and when you get there her bed is cold! 🔊✎ That's what she'll tell me, your mother, when I go up there to meet her, and I'll be so ashamed, so ashamed I'll want to die if I wasn't dead already, and all I'll be able to do is hang my head and say, "yes Ma'am Jocasta, it's true." 🔊✎
ANTIGONE ✎ — No nurse. Please stop. You'll be able to look my mother in the eye when you go to meet her. 🔊✎ And she'll say "Welcome, nurse, thank you for what you did for little Antigone. You took good care of her." 🔊✎ She knows why I went out this morning. 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — You don't have a lover? 🔊✎
THE NURSE ✎ — You're making fun of me then? You know, I'm too old for this kind of thing. 🔊✎ You were always my favourite, even though you're so mean. Your sister was nicer, but I thought you were the one who really loved me. 🔊✎ If you love me, you'll tell me the truth. Why was your bed cold when I came to tuck you in? 🔊✎
ANTIGONE ✎ — Please don't cry any more, nurse. 🔊✎ She kisses her. ✎ Come on, my old red apple. You know when I used to polish you to make you shine? My wrinkled old red apple. 🔊✎ Don't let your tears trickle down all those little furrows for silly things like that, for nothing really. 🔊✎ I'm not a bad girl. I don't have any other lover except Haemon, my fiancé, I promise. If you like, I can even promise I'll never have any other lover. 🔊✎ Save your tears, please save your tears, Maybe you'll need them later, nurse. 🔊✎ When you cry like that, I feel I'm little again. And I can't be little this morning. 🔊✎ (Enter Ismene.) ✎